Face to Face with... Stephen Dickstein

As something of a veteran in the ad industry, Stephen Dickstein has started and developed several production companies – from Propaganda to Partizan US to The Sweet Shop – and has a passion for creativity that oozes when he speaks. With his latest venture, Alive & Well, he’s confident he has enough experience and know-how to accomplish big things, and with Phillip Detchmendy onboard as partner, he’s genuinely excited about it.

The pair have already inked an award-winning directorial roster and want to be on speed dial of anyone looking for good creative work. Exactly a week into the venture, Dickstein explains why it was a ‘great time’ to launch and tells us about trying not to walk in the shoes of The Beatles.

Why was now a good time to start Alive & Well?

Although it is a great time to start Alive & Well, it’s also about time. As for the great time, starting fresh in our business is always cathartic, and especially in times that are changing. Not having the drag of history frees things up for invention and lightness.  We can tailor make the company, the personnel and the talent to meet demands that are thoroughly modern. Our business plan and creative outlook is entirely forward thinking, both in traditional and alternative medias.

As for the about time part, Phillip Detchmendy and I learned from our very successful six months working together at The Sweet Shop. We work together and complement each other’s skills and style wonderfully. We’ve wanted to take control of our own destinies for a long time now, and when this opportunity (with an amazing group of directors) showed itself, we jumped at it. Spiritually speaking, this has been a long time in the making...

Why did you call the company Alive & Well? 

To be honest, we didn’t contemplate another name. I was thinking about interesting ways of getting the word out on the new incarnation. I considered digitally staging my own death, if even for just a beat, unlike the ‘Paul is dead’ stunt the Beatles planned and perpetuated for years. But, we quickly came to the conclusion that not only was it narcissistic to try to walk in the shoes of McCartney and the Beatles, but my wife and mom where adamant against it for reasons of karma.

But it was so enticing to potentially be in the position of uttering the great Hollywood line “rumours of my death are greatly exaggerated”, then obviously, “I am actually ‘alive & well’.”.  We dropped the stunt quickly, but still thought the name ‘Alive & Well’ was fresh, modern, and already part of popular vernacular. People seem to like it, so we just hope they have it in their databases and remember the Alive & Well name when they’re calling in talent!

Did you already know who you wanted to sign?

Remarkably, the incredibly talented group assembled right from the outset, showing up without any drama or hard work needed. Each director saw their own opportunity, and we all shared an understanding of what it would take to successfully serve the creative and leadership needs of the current marketplace.

How does launching this time differ from your previous ventures?

The first commercials companies I launched many years ago (Propaganda, Satellite, Independent) were supported in a much more organic manner. They grew from strengths in other media and were supported financially by their predecessors.

I was less familiar and experienced in business and we were introducing creative work (music videos) that had yet to be exploited or propagated in the commercials world. In the case of Independent, we introduced real indie filmmakers into commercials, which Susanne Preissler was and still is a magician with.

Partizan and The Sweet Shop were more similar… strong international brands that hadn’t been known much in the States. They were both great talent platforms that I recognised had potential for growth, given the proper support. There wasn’t much mystery in the value of a talent like Michel Gondry or the emerging stardom of Traktor coming out of Sweden.

Why are you staggering the digital division’s launch? 

Officially speaking we are doing this so that we can build brand awareness in Alive & Well. We want to be on people’s list of who to call when directors are being considered on top creative work. We believe that our talents deserve to become household names in the industry. However, unofficially, we are already associated with a number of newbie directors, and digital artists and creative technologists who will soon be a part of the dedicated team around Kicking & Screaming. It’s a matter of using our time and resources wisely in an order that both our talent and clients are taken care of properly.

What are you most looking forward to about working with Phillip? 

Phillip is the nicest guy in the world with the patience of a saint. He’s also really good at putting together complex solutions. I’m always racing at light speed so to have someone that has my back and provide me with wisdom and perspective at this point in my career is a blessing. Our partnership is one of the most exciting factors in the venture.

Can you tell us about any upcoming work? 

We don’t like to talk about work that we’re doing, although it started happening literally last Friday, the day we announced the company. We’d like the work to speak for itself and if you examine the roster of talent closely you can see why we are confident in creating the kind of work that will get noticed and discussed.

You say you’ll challenge creative norms and inject freshness, how important is this for the industry?

It sounds like bullshit, but I have prided myself over the years on doing just that, and between Phillip and I, we believe we can justify it with our deeds, not our words. Our track record for having introduced, by good fortune or skill, is real. I hate talking about this, because it always comes out either as braggadocious or defensive. Can we move to the next question?

What are your long term hopes?

First accomplish great work, then do great work, and when done with that, we want to do great work again.

What makes you feel alive and well away from work?

I am sick man. No, really, I personally have an amazing support system around me in my life, a wonderful wife and two daughters, mom and dad, sister, brother and great friends and colleagues in and out of the business that are highly supportive and fun. Beyond this, it’s because I spend each day (although thinking I am a complete fraud) trying to prove to everyone otherwise. Humility and creativity are an outgrowth of curiosity. Maybe it’s genetic, but I remain curious about everything and in the words of a dear friend and a very well known, highly successful global executive (who would kill me if I mentioned his name, I might add): “But, what do I know?”

Visit the Alive & Well website here.